[mensetmanusman]

It’s both and neither since photons are particles and waves and focusing on one or the other to build intuition can be useful in some cases and not other.

How light actually behaves is probably beyond the ability of human cognition (since so much happens in a billionth of a second)

[wyager]

> How light actually behaves is probably beyond the ability of human cognition (since so much happens in a billionth of a second)

This is not remotely true. The behavior of light is very well understood and relatively simple to model compared to other, less linear physical processes.

[Retric]

We have some great models but what actually happens doesn't quite fit into any one model. For example all photons are constantly redshifted as they travel through space because space is expanding. That’s not really relevant on human timescales but it is an effect that takes place between your monitor and your eyes.

When you really dig into this stuff your realise stuff like the density of air is really an abstraction that doesn't quite fit what is actually going on.

[akomtu]

Can you think of a photon as a localized magnetic wave, a tiny soliton, stable due to properties of the magnetic field?